Divan-bed controlled sliding movement

ABSTRACT

AN EXTENDABLE DIVEN-BED STRUCTURE COMPRISING A FIXED LOWER FRAME, A MOVABLE UPPER FRAME, AND A GEAR AND ROLLER MEANS ENGAGING BOTH THE LOWER FRAME AND THE UPPER FRAME AND OTHER GUIDE MEANS POSITION THE UPPER FRAME TO ALLOW POSITIVE FORWARD AND REVERSE MOVEMENT OF THE UPPER FRAME WHILE RETAINED PARALLEL TO THE LOWER FRAME.

March 9, 1971 VE 'AL rm 3,568,224

DIVAN-BED CONTROLLED SLIDING MOVEMENT I Filed Oct. 14. 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS JOHN T VENALECK JOHN PERRICONE ATTORNEYS.

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J. T. VENALECK El AL DIVAN-BED CONTROLLED SLIDING MOVEMENT March 9, 1971 Filed 06%, 14. 1968 United States Patent 3,568,224 DIVAN-BED CONTROLLED SLIDING MOVEMENT John T. Venaleck, Mentor, and John Perricone, Thompson, Ohio, assiguors to Rusco Industries, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif.

Filed Oct. 14, 1968, Ser. No. 767,397 Int. Cl. A47c 17/14, 17/22 US. Cl. -17 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An extendable diven-bed structure comprising a fixed lower frame, a movable upper frame, and a gear and roller means engaging both the lower frame and the upper frame and other guide means position the upper frame to allow positive forward and reverse movement of the upper frame while retained parallel to the lower frame.

This invention relates to combination bed and sofa units which may be used for general household purposes but which are particularly useful as corner or wall installations in motels, hotels and apartments where space is usually at a premium and where a room may be used for living and sleeping purposes.

Articles of furniture of this type which are now in general use have been found to be open to the objection and to possess the distinct disadvantage that at times the movable section of the bed or enlarging unit is difficult to move from the contracted divan or sofa position to that of the expanded bed position. Or, the movable portion of the bed can be easily distorted or bent in use.

The present invention therefore broadly comprehends the idea of providing combination furniture of the divan-- bed character, normally movable manually via interengaging means on the movable and fixed frames of the divan that act as a control for the movable frame in such a way as to keep the movable frame sliding easily and in the desired parallel relation to the fixed frame portion of the divan. Special guides and controls are present to aid in positive movement and in presenting the movable section for load support.

More particularly, the invention provides a plastic onepiece gear and roller unit and a plastic rack gear that engage and connect the movable and the fixed divan-bed frames to support the movable frame and provide positive movement of the upper frame parallel to the lower frame.

Another object of the invention is to provide fixed frame means for the positioning of the gear and roller unit and novel slide control means for the movable frame section.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved support and guiding means for a two section frame so as to have improved functioning thereof and movement of one frame section.

With the above recited and the other objects in View, reference is bad to the following specification and accompanying drawings in which there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention While the claims define and mark out the actual scope of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating the bed assembly half way between its retracted and extended position;

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross section of the diven-bed taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 3, which bed has a modified upper frame thereon;

FIG. 3 is a broken away top plan view of the side members of both the movable and the fixed frame in a retracted position;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical cross section taken on line 44 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section of a side of the divan-bed taken at the rear guide means thereon.

The following description refers to a divan-bed A illustrated as having two frame sections 10 and 11 that are of rectangular shape and are rigidly constructed. These frame sections or means 10 and 11 are made and assembled in such a Way as to provide a non-mobile lower frame 10 and an upper frame 11 that can be easily moved by one person if so desired. Said fixed lower frame consists of two side angles, channels or bars 12, a laterally extending front angle or bar 13, and any conventional frame member or means for a rear bar 14 of the fixed lower frame. The upper frame means 11 consists of two conventional front and rear frame sections 15 and 15' secured together by two side angles, members or bars 16 and 16" that each have an overhanging L-shaped edge flange 116 thereon. Also, a part of the upper frame 11 are plastic guides or sliding means 24 that are fixedly positioned on and extend down from the sides of the frame 11, adjacent the rear portion thereon. The guide or slide means 24 is of generall L-shape in section and has a portion engaging and guided by a flange 25 on the upper edge of each of the side bars 12, and by such positioning, said sliding means acts as a guide for the movement of the rear end of the upper frame. The slide or guide means 24 are formed from low friction plastic material, such as nylon, and they are positioned within the edge flanges 116 as shown in FIG. 4. A foot portion of the slide means 24 has a curved upper surface 26 and usually a lower curved surface 27 between which the flange 25 is received.

The stationary front member 13 on the lower frame 10 covers or contains a transversely extending shaft 19 which is held in position and allowed to rotate freely, quietly and with very little friction by nylon or similar plastic bearings 20. The bearings 20 are positioned in suitable apertures in the side angle bars 12 and 12'. The laterally outer ends of the bushings or bearings 20 normally bear on the flanges 116 to aid in aligning and maintaining the alignment of the movable upper frame 11 on the fixed lower frame.

Positioned near each end of, and suitably secured to, the shaft 19 is a plastic gear and roller unit 21 that engages a plastic gear rack 22 in a quiet and near frictionless manner. The gear rack is positioned suitably on the under side of the side angles or bars 16 and 16. The plastic gear and roller unit 21 and the rack gear 22 form an interengaging gear and roll means that at least partly supports the upper frame 11 on the fixed lower frame 10. The guide or slide means 24 aid in retaining the frame means in good operative engagement. As indicated in FIG. 2, the horizontal angle of positioning of the upper frame will be varied as it moves from a retracted divan position out to an extended operative bed or made-up position, because of the upward inclination of the flange 25. Any suitable upper members may be provided on the upper frame 11 or at the back of the fixed frame. The modified frame 11 of FIGS. 2 and 3 has supporting brackets 50 extending generally upwardly therefrom. A frame 51 is secured to the upper ends of the brackets to attach means such as a spring assembly thereto. The other components of the upper and lower frames are conventional. A spring unit would be secured to or carried by the upper frame 11 of FIG. 1 in a conventional manner.

It also is seen that the rack gear 22 has a flat surfaced portion 122 formed at the side thereof which has roll 121 of-the gear and roller unit bearing thereon whereby part of the load of the upper frame is carried by the roll 121 to facilitate low friction movement of the upper frame.

As another feature of the invention, each of the side rails 16 for the upper frame has upper rear portions a that are suitably struck or punched therefrom whereby such portions 16a are elevated with relation to adjacent upper portions of the side angles or bars 16. The plastic rack gear 22 is carried by an extends along this portion 16a of the side rail 16 whereby some change in positioning of the upper frame with relation to the lower frame is provided when a gear 40 of the gear and roller unit 21 engages any elevated portion of the plastic rack gear 22 FIG. 2 shows that in its retracted position, the upper frame 11 is so positioned that its roller or caster 111, suitably secured thereto, is on its supporting surface. Then as the upper frame 11 is moved forwardly, the upper frame is lifted up out of the locking ridge or notch 17 by the unit 21 and it is upwardly inclined. On continued forward movement, the guides 24, by cooperation with the upwardly and forwardly inclined flanges at the back portions of the side rails for the lower frame, cause the back end of the upper frame to be gradually elevated from a downwardly inclined seating position for the upper frame until the upper frame 11 is substantially horizontal 1y positioned. Specifically, the elevated portion 16a extends from about a mid point in the depth of the upper frame to a terminal area adjacent the rear portion of the rear of the upper frame. The engagement of the gears 22 and 40 has a locking effect when the upper frame drops down when the elevated section 16a of the gear 22 engages the gear 40. Continued forward movement of the upper frame then is permitted and the upper frame 11 remains horizontally positioned at such time. The vertical relationship between the guide 24, upper flange 25 and the gear 40 is such as to bring the roller 111 in engagement with its supporting surface shorty after start of forward movement of the upper frame. A good bearing engagement is thus obtained for the roller 111 on the supporting surface as the back end of the upper frame has been elevated to a suflicient extent that no long cantilevered relationship is provided for the upper frame 11 when it is pulled out from the lower fixed frame 10. When the upper frame 11 is in its fully forwardly extended position, then the gear and roller unit 21 engages the rear end portion of the elevated section 16a and the rack gear end and further forward movement of the upper frame is prevented. Inasmuch as the rack gear 22 is made from a plastic material, it can be of suflicient flexibility to closely follow and be secured as by an adhesive to the bottom surface of the upper flange in this side member in the upper frame.

Usually the bed portion of the divan bed is in operative position when the gear 40 of the gear and roller unit 21 first seats in the rack gear in the portion thereof associated with the elevated section 16a of the frame side member and a positive force is required to collapse the upper frame or to move it to its rearmost position past the engagement of the gear and roller unit with the gear rack in such elevated section of the side rail.

Any suitable pull handle 23 is used and it is shown connected to the rear of the upper frame by a strap 123. The strap 123 may connect to a pivotal lock lever (not shown) that releasably locks the upper frame in its retracted divan position.

Hence, as a person pulls the handle 23 outwardly in such a way as to extend the divan-bed to its fullest depth, such force rotates the cylindrical shaft 19 by movement of the gear and roller unit 21 along the gear rack 22, thus allowing for the movement of the upper frame 11 parallel to the lower frame. The roll 121 has a flat edge 121a that abuts against an end of the bearing 20 and the flange 116 may abut on the other end of the bearing to retain the bearings in position and to aid in obtaining parallel movement of the upper frame on the lower frame. The

gear means functions smoothly and consistently in the appropriate direction. Thus, easy to and fro movement of the upper frame 11 on the lower frame 10 is allowed. However, when the roller unit comes into contact with a ridge 17 in the fornt portions of the side angles 16 and 16', the upper frame 11 is prevented from moving unless a person exerts continuing force upon the handle 23. It can be seen that the ridges 17 and 16a provide several different locking positions for the upper frame 11 when sliding along the bottom frame 10.

While one complete embodiment of the invention has been disclosed herein, it will be appreciated that modification of this particular embodiment of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An extendable divan-bed structure comprising a fixed lower frame, a movable upper frame, a gear and roller means operatively engaging both the lower frame and the upper frame and providing forward and reverse positive movement of the upper frame parallel to the lower frame;

said gear and roller means including a plastic gear and roll unit that contacts a plastic gear rack fixedly positioned on the lower surface of a portion of the upper frame, a control shaft extending across the front portion of said lower frame, and plastic bearings as a support for said gear and roller means which are secured to said control shaft; and

said upper frame having side rails with dependent outer edge flanges, said plastic bearings protruding beyond the ends of said control shaft and engaging said edge flanges to guide movement of said upper frame.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1 where said lower frame includes side rails each including a horizontally directed flange, said upper frame including side rails, and plastic guides are secured to and extend downwardly of said side rails of said upper frame at rear portion thereof and have slots therein receiving said flanges on said lower frame to retain the rear portion of said upper frame in sliding engagement with said lower frame.

3. A structure as in claim 2 where said upper frame Side rails have downwardly extending flanges with inwardly turned lower edges thereon that lie under and can engage said flanges on said lower frame side rails, said plastic guides being arranged on said upper frame side rail flanges so as to engage and retain the rear portion of said upper frame in sliding engagement with said lower frame.

4. An extendable divan-bed structure comprising a fixed lower frame, a movable quadrilateral upper frame, a gear and roller member carried adjacent each end of a shaft positioned on and extending across a front portion of the lower frame, and a flexible rack gear secured to the lower surface of each member forming a side of said upper frame and engaging the said gear of said gear and roller members, said gear being of a smaller diameter than said roller, said roller operatively engaging a side member of said lower frame to aid in controlled parallel movement of said upper frame on said lower frame, said side members of said upper frame having upwardly extending arcuate locking ridges therein adjacent their front ends, said rack gear following the contour of said locking ridges to form a locked retracted position of said upper frame.

5. A structure as in claim 4 Where guide means are provided on the rear end portions of said side members of said upper frame to interlock with side flanges on side members of said lower frame but provide limited vertical movement therebetween, and

said side members of said upper frame each having an upwardly extending portion from about a mid point of said side member of said upper frame to a point adjacent the rear portion thereof to provide a drop of the rear portion of said upper section when in an extended position, said rack gear following the contour of said upwardly extending portion.

6. A structure as in claim 4 where flanged plastic 'bearings position said shaft, and a flat side of said gear and roller member engages a flange on said bearing to air in positioning the same.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,324,576 12/1919 Wronowski 5-18X 3,167,788 2/1965 Murphy et a1. 5-17 6 3,175,228 3/1965 Quarngesser 5-17 3,323,853 6/1967 Stark 312-331 3,339,995 9/ 1967 Bencene 312-331X 5 CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 5-59 

